ARC Of Greater New Orleans

Arc does great work with the intellectually disabled in the greater New Orleans area. They run a kitchen, a grounds keeping service, a garden and their carnival bead operation. I was at this location on a recent Saturday (thanks @Shercole!) to volunteer to sell beads. It was really fun and the paid workers were all extremely enthusiastic. I loved working with some of the employed adults who were volunteering their time on the weekend. The staff had king cake (made in house), soup samples and coffee for those who were volunteering AND those who were buying.
Donate your beads to the Arc after carnival is over & go buy the beads you need from them. Sales are Saturdays from 9 – 1 until carnival weekend.

Thanks to Shercole K’s volunteering UYE this month, I expanded my horizons to include… um, Harahan? and The Arc of Greater New Orleans, which is not only an EPIC place to buy all things Mardi Gras throw related, but also has five other businesses that operate here.
If you’re looking for trinkets, stuffed animals, beads, or any other throws from previous years of carnival, this is your spot. Although I went intending to volunteer, I ended up spending part of the time shopping and left with a HUGE bag of red beads ( Unilocaltastic!) and a bag of black & gold football/​Whodat themed beads for this year’s Relive The Superbowl party. Can’t wait to go back for more fun stuff, for example when I’m in the market for shiny green things to share during a St. Patrick’s Day Parade Party.
Everyone I interacted with who works for the Arc was amazing. The organization does great work, I admire their innovative non-​profit/​business enterprise hybrid programs, and the only reason I’m giving them four stars is so that their listing seems more legitimate (all five star ratings across the board looks spammy sometimes), just in case you were wondering.

This weekend I volunteered at the Arc to sort Mardi Gras beads, such an cool experience. The Arc recycles Mardi Gras throws, which help fund employment for individuals with developmental disabilities. We sorted through the different type of beads to separate in bins. It was pretty cool and easy. I had a chance to see all the different types of throws new and old and admire the great craftsmanship. If you ever can, definitely check it out and/​or volunteer.
What is also great about the Arc, they have a few enterprises to help offer jobs to individuals with disabilities. They have janitorial services and even landscaping. On the grounds they even have a pretty well done garden they maintain. They also have ‘Vintage Garden Kitchen” which they make fresh soups and other goods for the public to buy as well is sold to local restaurants. This is a cool organization. Check out their website and support them.